Fresno State athletic director Jim Bartko announced that former Bulldogs quarterback and offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford will be the next head football coach.
The hiring was announced Thursday, and Tedford was introduced in a press conference Friday by Bartko and university President Dr. Joseph Castro.
“We have one of the best football coaching minds in America that wanted to come home to Fresno State, and that means a lot to me,” Bartko said. “Someone that wants to be here, not for a year, not for two years, not a stepping stone, but to build his roots — Bring this place back to what it needs to be.”
Since Bartko fired former head coach Tim DeRuyter on Oct. 22, there were immediate rumors throughout the community that Tedford was Bartko’s man to rebuild the program suffering a 1-9 season so far, its third consecutive losing season.
Interim head coach Eric Kiesau will coach the remaining two games with Tedford officially stepping in as coach at season’s end. It has not been announced if Kiesau and the rest of the coaching staff will be retained under Tedford, and Tedford said it is too early to tell which members of the staff he will keep.
This is a homecoming for Tedford, and he says he is excited to return to Bulldog Stadium as head coach.
“This opportunity is a great fit for me because I do understand the tradition of Bulldog football,” Tedford said. “I know where it has been, and I know where it should be. I’m really looking forward to reconnecting with all the past players, the supporters and the entire Red Wave to bring this program back to prominence. I really believe this is a special place without a doubt.”
Tedford is not just focused on his team on the field, but off it as well. He is committed to developing every player in the program.
“Our mission and goal will be to grow and develop young men to reach their full potential in all areas: academically, athletically, socially and spiritually,” Tedford said. “To compete at a high level in the classroom and on the football field, and while doing so with great character and high integrity, that is very important to me. That they are a representative of the community and all the alumni that have ever attended Fresno State or have ever walked down that ramp to play a football game in that stadium.”
Tedford attended Fresno State in 1981 and 1982, playing quarterback under Jim Sweeney. After he graduated, he played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for six years.
Tedford returned to Fresno State in 1992 to become the quarterback coach, again under Sweeney. The next year he became offensive coordinator and held that position through the 1997 season, spending his last year under Pat Hill. He then was hired by the University of Oregon as offensive coordinator.
In 2002, the University of California, Berkeley hired Tedford as head coach, his first head coaching position. He served as head coach until 2012 when he was let go after a 3-9 season and serious academic concerns with the program. Tedford won the most games in Cal history.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Tedford in 2014 as offensive coordinator, but he only coached the team for part of the season before being granted an indefinite leave of absence due to health issues with his heart.
Tedford’s next stop was as head coach of the BC Lions of the CFL for the 2015 season. His team went 7-11, and he resigned after the season.
Tedford spent this past year as an offensive analyst for the currently No. 7-ranked and the 9-1 Washington Huskies. As an offensive analyst, he was unable to actually coach the players, but he would watch film and help the coaching staff.
Having never endured an eight-game losing streak before this season, Fresno State football is at arguably its worst point in program history. The athletic department is also in the middle of a major stadium renovation project. Tedford is tasked with getting the program back on track and positioning Fresno State with its renovated stadium for the uncertain future of conference alignment.
“It all starts with evaluation of what’s going on with the program,” Tedford said. “I’m confident that we have the support of President Castro and Jim Bartko to do the things that we need to do. It’s not just about football, and it’s not just on the football field. The No. 1 thing I will do next week when I get here, is meet with the academic staff to find out what’s going on academically, first and foremost.”
“Then from there, as far as hiring a staff is concerned, it’s really important that you surround yourself with guys who are great evaluators, master teachers, experts in their fields, can communicate with their players, and come to work every day positive, poised but demanding. Those are the things that we are going to have on our staff. It’s going to be a long process to understand who we are first, and then from there hire a staff. I am going to work long and hard to get that done in the next few weeks.”
